Good Friends
by FriendsLovers
Summary: Eliot learns that Parker has her very own definition of what good friends do for each other. - Eliot/Parker
1. Chapter 1

**Title:** Good Friends  
**Summary:** Eliot learns that Parker has her very own definition of what good friends do for each other.  
**Characters:** Eliot, Parker  
**Pairings:** Eliot/Parker  
**Rating:** PG - 13  
**Disclaimer:** I DON'T own anyone or anything. I DON'T own the characters. The fanfic is written for fun, NOT for profit.  
**Author's note:** This is another little vacation story, set after the season 3 finale. It'll be a short story though (I've planned five chapters for it). Happy reading!

* * *

When he woke up, his mind was spinning, and a thick headache greeted him. Groaning softly, Eliot tried to sit up, as good as possible in his current constitution. He had been drugged before. Heavily drugged even, thanks to people trying to torture him, or to knock him out. Whatever had been given to him had done a good job.

He couldn't remember much. The team had gotten ready for leaving San Lorenzo. He had woken up Nate, and had politely ignored that Sophie was sleeping next to him, hidden by the covers. They had headed downstairs, had had a quick breakfast before they had headed to the airport.

By the time he had arrived at said airport, on this beautiful, sunny morning, he had already felt different. Nate and Sophie had exchanged awkward glances. Eliot had given Parker a disbelieving look at her luggage, and had ignored Hardison's constant chatting.

Back then already, he had felt odd. They had headed towards their gate. More, he didn't remember. What had happened next? And, even more important, where was he now? Blinking a few times, he allowed his eyes to open carefully.

Another soft groan escaped him. At least the light that greeted him was dimmed. Squinting, he tried to take in his surroundings. It took him a while to realise he was sitting in a plane. And that he wasn't alone in his row of seats.

"Hey, you're awake," a far too cheerful Parker greeted him. He found her grinning down at him in this way that was so unique for her. Instinctively, he raised an eyebrow at her. He hadn't missed the sparks of mischief in her eyes. What had she done?

Sitting up more properly, Eliot let his gaze travel through the overfilled inside of the plane. He couldn't spot the others anywhere. Hadn't they been supposed to travel together, with seats not too far away from each other?

His still confused mind needed another while to process those information. Then, his eyes widened as realisation hit him. Ignoring the pain that was caused by suddenly spinning around, he stared at her in disbelief.

"Did...you drug me?" he asked, his voice not more than a shocked whisper.

Parker smirk widened. "Maybe?"

"And...why?" Once again, he let his eyes wander across the lines of seats. Another thought found its way into his mind, but this idea was too ridiculous. Or wasn't it? "Where are the others?"

She didn't answer. Just continued to grin, offering the hint of a shrug. "Maybe in Boston already?"

"What?" he gasped, shocked that even his strangest ideas really could be proven right when it came to her. "You...please tell me you...didn't seriously...drug and...kidnap me?" As he received another grin in response, he couldn't help himself anymore. "Are you insane?!" he barked.

"Shh!" Parker gave him a warning look. "We don't want to attract attention, right? Besides, some people might be sleeping."

"They are...who the hell cares?!" He dearly hoped his glare came across as threatening as it was supposed to. Not that anything could actually scare Parker. "How dare you to...drug and kidnap me?! I know you've always been crazy, but that tops everything!"

Eliot was shaking at this point, taking deep breaths to prevent his anger from taking over. Not that he would ever even think about harming her, or could do so in the first place. But he was close enough to screaming out his frustration and disbelief.

Parker didn't seem to care. "Psh, whatever?" She shrugged again. "Settle down already. I mean, what you gonna do anyway? Jump out of the plane? There are no parachutes." She tensed. "You...wouldn't just jump out of a flying plane, right?"

"Yeah, of course I would. I'm doing that all the time," he snapped back. "Holy shit, Parker, what the hell were you thinking?! And how...why...?"

"How or why?" she wanted to know.

Her calm behaviour was riling him up even more. "Both," Eliot growled back.

"Fine." Parker nodded. "How? Sneaked some...stuff into your breakfast. Told Nate and Sophie I had a little extra vacation for you planned and they seemed to be okay with that somehow. You didn't fall asleep until I had you in your seat. Not sure why you don't remember that, but you were already quite high by that time." She giggled.

Eliot just rolled his eyes at her. Yelling at her wouldn't lead him anywhere. She was Parker after all: Parker, who came up with the strangest of ideas. It had only been a question of time until she would do something crazy like that.

"And why?" he wanted to know.

To his surprise, she almost looked shy as she shrugged once more. "Well, I...didn't want you to run away from us. You know, leave the team and all."

Once more, he gave her a disbelieving look. "Why should I do that?"

"Because you don't look happy," she stated, giving him a look he couldn't quite interpret.

"So what?" Eliot asked back. "It's not like I'm looking happy all the time, right?"

"But it's different now." To his growing confusion, Parker's cheeks flushed softly. "I mean...since you told us about Moreau...there's been something in your eyes that's..." She hesitated. "You did the job, but...you didn't look like you usually do. You weren't...you."

He couldn't help himself: in silence, Eliot stared at the woman sitting next to him, needing a moment to process what he had just heard. Parker, of all people, had realised that he hadn't been acting like himself, that he had been bothered by the memories and feelings, caused by the past, had come back to haunt him? She, the woman who had such a hard time with understanding people, had realised that, and had paid enough attention to him to notice it in the first place?

This fact made him forget his previous anger, as he was amazed by how much she had changed since he had seen her for the first time.

"So you thought kidnapping me was a good idea?" he asked eventually. "'Cause you thought otherwise I might run away?"

"Yes." Parker nodded. "I thought it'd be good to take you to some place where you could think of something else. You know, where you can relax, get distracted, things like that."

"And where are we going?" Eliot wanted to know.

Realising that he was no longer mad, and didn't think she was crazy because of her reasons for kidnapping him, she smiled. "A little Caribbean island. You've ever been there? Just beaches, sea, nice places. Okay, it's a little boring because you can't really steal anything, but that's not the purpose of that trip in the first place, right?"

Eliot just nodded in response, watching Parker as she smiled satisfied and turned her attention to the window next to her. A trip to an island, so he could relax a bit, and get over the events from the past few days, could get back in control over his feelings and memories? Of course he still had enough reasons to be angry. She had drugged and kidnapped him after all. But her intentions had been good: even he couldn't deny that. Apart from that, he didn't really have a choice either: not as long as he had this stubborn woman by his side.

* * *

Parker knew her plan had been risky, but she couldn't have cared less. For a while now, she had felt that Eliot's behaviour had changed. Especially when a certain part of his past had come back with such a force, she had noticed that the expression in his eyes, his whole body language, even his way of talking had changed.

She didn't like it. He wasn't supposed to be upset like that. Of course he wasn't exactly a bunch of excitement and happiness either, but she missed his smile, missed to see him laugh. Even if Sophie hadn't taught her so much during the past few years, she would have understood that the memories of his past, of what he had done, were bothering him.

And so, Parker had decided to distract him. She knew Eliot would have never willingly agreed to her plan. He wanted some time off, but he wanted to decide what to do during said break, and she didn't like the idea of him being unsupervised. No, he wouldn't like her plan, and so, she had decided to simply kidnap him. Which was quite a challenge of course, but when the plan had eventually been created, she had been rather convinced she could make it work.

There had been moments of hesitation and nervousness of course. Would he notice what she had put into his breakfast? Would the stuff work too fast? Having him faint at the airport wouldn't just complicate the plan, it would also attract attention. And then, there had been the others: convincing them that she knew what she was doing had been the biggest challenge. Eventually, it had been Hardison who had agreed to help her.

Fortunately, Nate and Sophie had been busy with something else. Parker didn't know why they had looked so awkward, and she hadn't really paid any further attention to it either. Instead, she had focused on Eliot, making sure the drugged man would follow her to the right plane, for which Hardison had gotten them tickets. It had worked and, much to her relief, he had fallen asleep the second she had made him sit down.

With a satisfied smile plastered across her face, she left the plane together with him. Eliot had stopped glaring at her. He didn't look excited either, but Parker didn't mind. He would like the vacation. Most likely, he was just still angry because she had kidnapped him. She was convinced this had happened to him before, but at least his kidnapper had good intentions his time.

"Okay," he said eventually. "Now what? We've arrived in this city, and what's gonna happen next? Do we have to hunt for a hotel, or are we gonna sleep on a bench?"

Parker rolled her eyes at him. "You think I didn't plan this through, silly?" she asked back. "I spent an entire night planning this! The city here isn't our destination. There's a tiny plane waiting for us. Hardison hired it. He also booked us a nice holiday house on the island the plane will take us to." She grinned. "The island's really tiny, and really cute. It's not full and loud, like those tourist places, 'cause those really suck. I mean, all the people around. Who wants people around when they're on a vacation? Right, no one. You'll love it."

"Tiny and cute island?" Eliot raised his eyebrows at her. "I'm not sure I'm gonna like that, to be quite honest." He paused. "Parker...really, we don't have to do this, okay? If that's just about you fearing I could leave the team...I wasn't planning on doing that. I care for the team. For everyone of you guys. I think you should know that by now, don't you think?"

Parker nodded. Along with her wish to cheer him up, her fear that he could run away had been the main reason why she had come up with this spontaneous idea. He was the teammate she trusted in the most, the one who would always be honest, would always be there to protect her, or to comfort her, no matter how often he would get angry and frustrated. The idea of him leaving the team and doing whatever else came to his mind that bothered her more than she would have ever dared to imagine.

"It's not just that," she said then. "You always keep on saying you want a vacation. Now you got one. On a cool Caribbean island even. And with me. Doesn't that sound like fun?"

Her grin widened at the look Eliot gave her in response. Parker knew she would be able to convince him. He would enjoy this vacation, and by the time they would head back to Boston, he would be happier again. For once, she wanted to be the one who took care of him, who was there for him. And he would love it, no matter what he was saying right now.


	2. Chapter 2

**Title:** Good Friends  
**Summary:** Eliot learns that Parker has her very own definition of what good friends do for each other.  
**Characters:** Eliot, Parker  
**Pairings:** Eliot/Parker  
**Rating:** PG - 13  
**Disclaimer:** I DON'T own anyone or anything. I DON'T own the characters. The fanfic is written for fun, NOT for profit.  
**Author's note:** Thanks so much for the lovely reviews! :D Now, this chapter will be a little angsty again, because yeah, they still have to talk about the kidnapping, right? But after that, there'll be some fun. ;)

* * *

That Parker was a stubborn woman wasn't new to Eliot. That she could come up with the craziest ideas also didn't usually come as a surprise. That she would seriously dare to kidnap him though was a different story. She was willing to go far, but there were lines even she wouldn't across.

At least so he had believed. Until he had woken up in a plane, exhausted and tired because she had drugged him. So he could get the vacation she believed he needed. There was a lot she was willing to do to get what she wanted. But this time, she had gone too far.

Knowing there was no way out anymore, Eliot decided to go with Parker's plan. He couldn't just abandon her at the airport and head back home, and convincing her to return to Boston with him definitely wouldn't work either.

Of course he could simply make her cooperate. The thief was fast and well-trained, but still he believed he could have easily wrestled her into another plane. He could have found a way if he had really wanted to.

But Eliot also knew Parker would have made him pay for ruining her plan. She was stubborn, maybe even more than Nate, and didn't shy away from doing the necessary to force her will on others.

He would have to deal with it, but his discomfort increased immensely as the small plane, which Hardison had hired for them, arrived at their destination. The island she had chosen for them was indeed small, tiny even. According to the pilot, people rarely ever found their way to this place. Because there was nothing, apart from beaches, palm trees, and occasional holiday houses, scattered across the area.

One of those would be theirs. Parker's eyes sparkled with excitement as the pilot guided them to the place in question, and eventually left them on their own. The strong urge to turn around, to run after him and beg the man to take him back to the airport was almost overwhelming at this point.

Stuck on a Caribbean island, with Parker, for who knew how long she wanted them to stay there. His heart was pounding hard in his chest, and he could feel the first hints of panic rising. How was he supposed to handle that? He had been longing for some time off, to sort his thoughts, to get back in control over himself and then return to the team, with new energy, new motivation.

And now he was stuck here. On a tiny island. With nothing else around but beaches, palm trees and Parker.

Said woman had already made her way through the house and examined every corner of it while he was still standing outside, staring ahead in disbelief, desperately trying to find a way out. His previous rage, caused by the realisation of what she had done, had been temporarily wiped away as he had figured out how much she had invested in her plan, and why she had done it. Now it was returning though, bubbling in the pit of his stomach. She had caused trouble before, but never, she had dared to cross the line like that.

"What are you waiting for?" she asked as he eventually entered the house, slowly making his way through the living room, feeling like he was stuck in a horribly weird nightmare. "You should unpack your suitcase. Your room's over there."

"My suitcase?" Eliot raised an eyebrow in disbelief, feeling a new rush of discomfort at her words. "Don't tell me you...or Hardison...made someone buy clothes for me."

Joining him in the living room, Parker shrugged. "Well, you said you travel without luggage, and you can't wear the same stuff over and over again, right?"

"Which leads me to another question." Taking a deep breath, he tried to force down the waves of frustration, increased by her relaxed behaviour. "Care to tell me for how long we're gonna stay here?"

She shrugged again. "We'll stay here until I'm convinced you're fine again."

One single sentence, and it was enough to push him too far. Slow breathing and counting to ten didn't work, so didn't any other attempt at staying calm. He would be stuck with her, until he could convince her that he was fine again...

"Dammit, Parker!" he exclaimed, startling her. "What the hell do you think you're doing, here?! You're gonna trap me on that damn island until you're sure I'm fine again? Are you kidding me?!"

"I thought we were over the yelling and getting mad," she stated.

Ignoring the surprise in her voice, he groaned. "There's really something wrong with you, right? You...you seriously think you can just kidnap people and trap them somewhere, and you think that's gonna help at all?"

"But you said you wanted some time off," she reminded him.

In disbelief, he stared back at her, unable to find the right words to reply. Parker was convinced that her plan was good, that kidnapping him was the right thing to do. What bothered him even more was the look she was giving him now though. She hadn't been prepared for being yelled at, and he hated himself for going that far.

But while he had learnt to control his temper, there were moments when he didn't have the energy to keep himself calm. His mind still felt sore and wounded, after exposing himself to his team in a way he had never wanted to do. His carefully created balance, which usually made sure he could function, had been messed up, and he was still trying to get the scattered pieces back together.

That wasn't Parker's fault, and Eliot knew that. Right now, he couldn't deal with her very unique way of trying to help though. Unwilling to yell at her again, he turned around and stormed into the room, which was supposed to be his, forcefully slamming the door shut.

It took him several minutes to get his breathing and pounding heart back to a normal rhythm. Slowly, ever so slowly, he could feel his anger fading away again, just to realise it hadn't been his rage that had made him snap in the first place.

With a groan, he let himself fall onto the large bed, grateful for the soft mattress that caught him. Someone had opened the window, and a warm breeze was finding its way inside. Closing his eyes, he allowed the soft wind to caress his heated skin.

His thoughts drifted off immediately. This was absolutely not what he had had in mind when requesting some time off. If he was entirely honest, he didn't know what he had planned to do either. Maybe he would have travelled. Maybe he would have taken another job, for someone else, to keep himself distracted.

He would have come up with something. But he would have been able to choose on his own, to see what suited his constitution the best, what would be the best to get back in control over his mind.

His messed up thoughts and feelings. Shaking his head, Eliot opened his eyes again, staring towards the wooden ceiling above. He had been willing to take Moreau down on his own, had wanted to keep the team out of the line so badly. He had known how high the chances of someone getting hurt had really been. Month after month, he had tried to come up with a decent plan, all the time trying desperately to hide his connection to their mark.

And more and more, with every passing day, every passing week, his mind had started to spiral out of control. Hiding the stories of his past in general wasn't too much of a challenge. Doing so while directly being confronted with them was a different story though. It had only been a question of time until his teammates would find out: he had always been aware of that.

And then, there he had stood, confronted with the darkest, dirtiest part of his past, facing those people he cared for more than he had cared for anyone in a long while, admitting he had lied, admitting that he had been one of those men as well. He had to face Moreau again, had to use guns again, had to kill again.

And somewhere along the line, he had lost his balance completely. He had been able to gather enough energy to keep on functioning, to get the job done, to make sure Nate wouldn't go back to prison, and that no one else would get hurt in the process. He had learnt a long time ago to function, to blind out his thoughts and feelings, to keep moving. Just keep moving, until he would reach a point of utter exhaustion.

He was at this point now. The last bit of his energy had been used during those moments prior to leaving San Lorenzo, in yet another attempt to make his friends, his family believe that he was okay. Because it wasn't their job to worry about him. Because they had seen enough darkness in him already. He would just need some time to get over it, to recreate the old balance, and then, he would return. It wasn't their job to witness his recovery: it never was, no matter if it was of a physical or psychological nature.

Because it was his job to protect them. Knowing about the darkness that was his past was bad enough. Seeing him out of balance, out of control, hurting like that, was even worse, and he was determined to prevent them from looking even deeper into his damaged soul.

And then, Parker had decided to interfere, had messed up his carefully created plan, just to replace it with her own one. Now he was trapped on an island with her, and he had no idea how to handle the situation. At all.

He lay still, in silence and motionlessly staring towards the ceiling, for what felt like eternity. His anger had disappeared somewhere along the line, the dull aching deep within him had stayed though. It took him another while to pick up on the noises that were finding their way through his closed bedroom door. He listened for a couple of minutes, until he couldn't bear it any longer.

He hadn't meant to snap, hadn't meant to yell at her. Not like that. Parker hadn't meant to harm him, to hurt him. She hadn't even meant to mess with his plan, as she hadn't even been aware of it in the first place. No one had. Because he had refused to talk, had refused to let them in. It wasn't their job after all. His recovery was his own business.

Sighing deeply, he got up eventually. Convinced that he had settled down enough to not snap again, Eliot left his bedroom and quietly headed into the direction where those noises were coming from. He found her in the holiday house's small kitchen, moving around in front of the stove in what he assumed was an attempt at cooking. He watched her for a while, very well aware of the fact that she had noticed his presence already. A new rush of guilt filled him as he did so, and eventually, he cleared his throat, stepping closer.

"I'm sorry for yelling earlier," he said, not bothering to waste his time with small talk. "I didn't mean to...be rude. Or to scare you."

Her surprised gaze met his. "You didn't scare me," she said. "You never do. I know you won't hurt me."

She turned back to the small pot in front of her, and Eliot allowed himself another moment to study her. He knew Parker was honest with him: she wasn't scared, hadn't been earlier either. Which was still a fact that never failed to surprise him. He knew she could look back at a rough childhood, had seen a lot of darkness and horror, without anyone by her side who could have comforted her. But despite everything she knew about him now, despite all the times he had told her off already in the past, she still seemed to trust in him unconditionally. It was a knowledge that warmed his heart, and made him regret his outburst even more.

"Still," he said. "I didn't mean to yell. It's just that...this isn't exactly what I had in mind when I asked for some time off, you know?"

Parker nodded. "Yeah, I do. You wanted to get away from the team."

"Um...well, that's not exactly why..." His voice trailed off as she shook her head.

"It is exactly why you wanted to take some time off," she interrupted him. "You wanted to get away from us. 'Cause you were afraid of what you'd see."

Once again, he found himself unable to reply. Confused by her words, Eliot stepped closer. "What do you mean?" he wanted to know.

Parker didn't look up as she spoke. "I know the feeling, you know? The team...they're our friends. Our family, I'd even say. They like us. They care for us, don't they? It feels so good. And you want to keep it that way. So when your demons threaten to come out, you feel like you have to run away, because you don't want them to see them. You want them to see the you which they like. Not the rest."

He stared at her in a mix of surprise and disbelief. Although Parker's words hadn't been as clear as she had most likely wanted them to be, Eliot had understood what she was trying to say, and he was amazed by how accurate they were.

"You don't have to hide your real personality, Parker," he said eventually.

"Oh, I do." She nodded eagerly. "I'm crazy, remember? Don't you think I know that? I'm reminded of it every time I say something that makes you guys look at me in that odd way. And I also can't talk about my past either. 'Cause whenever I do that, tell how I grew up and what it was like, Sophie looks all sad, and so does Hardison. I think Nate doesn't really want to hear it either. Not so sure about you." She shrugged. "So you're trying to hide some stuff, and when it suddenly comes out, you feel like running. Same happened with you now, right? Everyone knows you worked for Moreau and did what his men did. That you were a hired killer once. And now you're scared of what you're gonna see in their eyes, right? You're afraid what the family's gonna think about you."

Parker looked up briefly before she returned to whatever she was trying to create in her pot. Closing his eyes for a moment, Eliot allowed her words to sink in. He was still shocked by her honesty, and how good she had managed to read his mind. She, of all people, was able to understand? Then again, Parker seemed to be amazingly good at understanding others, as long as she could relate.

"It's not just that," he said eventually, knowing that denial was absolutely unnecessary at this point. "It is one reason, yeah. But...see, this whole job, all these confrontations, everything I had to...do...it threw me off balance, and I have to get it back. It's not your job though, and no one else's. I have to get back in control by myself. No one can help with that, and no one's supposed to."

"Yeah, because you're the big, strong guy." She snorted again. "You're pretty silly sometimes, you know?" She stuck a spoon into her mouth, tasting whatever she was trying to cook. Making a disgusted face, she shuddered before she continued, "You wanna know why I kidnapped you? 'Cause you don't have to hide your real you in front of me. But you wouldn't have ever understood that if I had just told you so in San Lorenzo. You'd have given me an odd look and told me to shut up, and then you'd have run off for your stupid, little vacation, still thinking that you have to lie everyone in the face and pretend you're the big, strong guy, who doesn't ever need anything from anyone. That you can handle it all on your own and be just fine again, like you always are. So yeah, that's why I kidnapped you. I don't mind the real you, okay? You did bad things? Yeah, got that. So what? You're not that guy anymore, like Sophie said. Ah, don't interrupt me! You're not. Period."

"I'm still able to kill if I have to, you know," he couldn't help but say.

"And I'm still able to rob a museum if I have to," she stated.

"You do know that's not the same at all, right?" Eliot asked back, shaking his head at her in disbelief.

"Whatever." She pushed her pot aside. "Ugh, that tastes like crap." She shuddered once more before she added, "This is a lonely island. There are no other tourists but us around at the moment. Means no one's gonna disturb. I get why you wanted to be alone. I do get it, really. But you don't have to hide your real face. It's fine with me. And now, stop staring and help me. Except you want to eat that stuff here."

Wordlessly, Eliot joined Parker at the stove, not too surprised that she didn't see a sense in continuing to discuss the topic. She had kidnapped him because she wanted him to understand that he could show his real self around her. Because in her eyes, that was what good friends did for each other.


	3. Chapter 3

**Title:** Good Friends  
**Summary:** Eliot learns that Parker has her very own definition of what good friends do for each other.  
**Characters:** Eliot, Parker  
**Pairings:** Eliot/Parker  
**Rating:** PG - 13  
**Disclaimer:** I DON'T own anyone or anything. I DON'T own the characters. The fanfic is written for fun, NOT for profit.  
**Author's note:** Thank you so much for all the lovely reviews, I'm happy you're enjoying the story! :)

* * *

Parker might have proven more than once to the team that in some ways, she was indeed crazy. But she wasn't stupid either. She knew when to back off, how far to push a person until it was smarter to run. She had felt that she had provoked Eliot to a point where he would have to snap eventually.

And he had, like expected. She couldn't blame him for disliking the idea of being kidnapped by her, despite her good intentions behind her actions. She wanted him to relax, wanted him to get some distance between himself and the world he knew, so he could allow his soul to heal a little.

Of course she didn't know for sure whether or not that would work at all. Everyone had their very own ways of dealing with feelings, with memories, with pain. What worked for one might not work for the other. Even she knew that, had understood it a long time ago.

But he needed distance. She felt he did. This fact had caused the fear that he might run, hide somewhere, far away from the team, and eventually would realise that they caused more stress and pain than joy. There was a chance he would just move on.

And she couldn't risk that. She couldn't allow him to experience a moment of hesitation, that might spark the idea of starting fresh somewhere else, on his own. Every member of the team was needed. Him included. More than he knew.

Parker shivered at her own thoughts. It was fascinating how long it had taken her to understand how necessary every single member of their odd, little family really was.

Hardison openly demanded attention and appreciation. Nate was the mastermind; the team couldn't function without him, and everyone knew that. Sophie was the mother hen, wrapping her arms around them in a tight, comforting embrace, always willing to offer an advice, defending them with a passion that could almost reach Nate's at times.

And Eliot? He was the one who worked in the background, keeping them all safe. He was the one who would roll his eyes, growl and glare, but would eventually find just the right words to handle her. He was the one who wasn't trying to change her, to teach her. He was guiding, giving her the occasional push she needed, allowing her to be her complicated, sometimes crazy self.

He wasn't asking for a thank you, wasn't asking for appreciation. He was quiet, but always there, and needed more than he knew. More than anyone else. They couldn't afford a change of mind on his side. Kidnapping him to give him the distance he was longing for was the plan. She would supervise him. He couldn't escape this island, and would have to follow her ideas rather than his own.

Slowly, she made her way down the long beach, knowing if she followed it for a few hours, she could round the entire island. The sand felt soft and warm beneath her bare feet. The sea was sparkling like it was covered with a thick layer of diamonds. The sun was shining mercilessly, but she didn't mind. A soft breeze was blowing, gently caressing her bare skin.

One could really relax at this place. Even she could feel the effect already. She couldn't have picked a better location. No other guests were around who could bother her. Parker had improved at interacting with people, but that didn't change the fact she didn't exactly like most of them. People were exhausting, and often seemed to be even more complicated than her. The difference was their belief that they were perfectly fine that way though.

Stopping then, she allowed herself a moment to take in the stunning view in front of her, before she sank into the fine sand. Stretching out her legs, she braced herself on her hands behind her back, for a moment closing her eyes. Parker wouldn't often allow herself such moments of pure relaxation. She had learnt to always be on alert, to scan her surroundings, and make sure she would always have an exit a long time ago.

In this case, she and Eliot differed a lot. She had taught herself not to go into an open confrontation. As soon as an enemy was spotted, she would disappear, like a shadow. Meanwhile, he would step out of said shadows, taking down whoever dared to mess with him, with an accuracy that never failed to amaze her. Passive versus active.

He was quiet, entirely in control over his body, making no more noises than necessary. Yet she had heard his approach as soon as he had left their little holiday house. A faint smile lit her face as she listened more closely. He didn't sound aggravated anymore. In fact, he had already calmed down visibly after their heated exchange, had even apologized for yelling. Not that she had expected him to, or would have ever asked for that. She could understand him, in some ways.

Parker kept her eyes closed until she could feel Eliot had joined her. As she turned to gaze at him, he was sitting next to her, studying her, but looking away as soon as her eyes met his. Instead, his attention turned to the view in front of them. Neither of them spoke a word, yet she felt like they were still communicating in some way.

"You really believe that?" he asked then, breaking the silence eventually. "That you can't be your real self in front of the team?"

Parker shrugged. "Told you so, didn't I?" she asked back, unwilling to repeat her earlier words. Having to say them in the first place had already been awkward enough. She wasn't used to sharing such private thoughts with others. Yes, she was sure she couldn't show her real self. Because no one wanted to know what was really going on inside her mind. She was convinced by that.

"I think you're getting the others wrong," he continued, still without looking at her. "They do want to hear what you got to say, Parker. They do care for you after all. But everyone reacts differently to stories like those you got to share with us."

She shrugged again. Deep inside, she couldn't help but curse herself for having brought up this topic in the first place. She had wanted to explain to him that she understood, and that he didn't have to hide anything in front of her. For that, she had revealed a little too much about herself, and now he was confronting her with those words. Pulling her legs up to her chest, she placed her chin on top of her knees, wishing she could disappear.

"We're here to make you feel better, not to talk about me," she stated.

Raising his eyebrows, he finally looked at her again. "You kidnapped me. You forced me to have a vacation that's entirely different to what I had in mind when Nate said we could take two weeks off," Eliot told her. "I guess it's only fair to give me some control, too. Even if it's just over a silly, little conversation."

Wordlessly, Parker stared back, knowing she couldn't argue with that. It was her turn to stare ahead then. She could feel he continued to watch her for a while, and was relieved as his gaze was no longer resting on her.

"I didn't say it's wrong of them," she said eventually. "But I do know people don't want to see the real me. They don't want to see how messed up I really am. I know they care. I do know that, really. Still doesn't change anything." She paused. "You should understand it, after all you don't want us to know the real you with all your layers either."

"That's 'cause I did really bad things." Eliot sighed deeply, and she could imagine the look he gave her in response. "I killed people. Quite a few of those were innocent even. The stories I got to share...I want you guys to trust in me, not to fear me 'cause of who I've been. Like I said, I won't ever get the blood off my hands, no matter how hard I'm trying. You though...what you got to say is entirely different. You gotta stop comparing your past to mine, Parker! You went through a lot, and that can't be compared to what I did at all. Not at all. I've been a killer, okay? I'm still able to kill. Got the proof for that during the job. My reasons for backing off and hiding stuff about me can't be compared to yours at all."

"Okay." Parker nodded slowly. "I do get that you don't want us to know what you did 'cause you believe it could scare us. Which is still very silly by the way, 'cause...you really think I don't know? Anyone who's capable of thinking would know what you've done, even if they don't know the details. And also that it's haunting you, 'cause you're not like that anymore and it's just normal to feel bad after that job. If anyone got fooled by you smiling and behaving like you were fine, coming back all shiny and bright, they don't get you at all."

Only briefly, she turned to look at him, meeting his shocked, surprised gaze before she stared back towards the horizon. "Didn't expect me to say that, huh? I'm not just crazy."

"Never said you are," he stated quietly.

Parker smirked. "Anyway. We all know what you've done, even if you don't share the details, but I do get why you don't wanna do it. You're also not sharing anything else though. Nothing about your retrieval jobs, nothing about your time in the Army. Nothing about what they did to you when they caught you." Once again, she looked at him. "'Cause you fear people don't wanna hear it, right? 'Cause they don't wanna know how you've been hurt, how many bad things you've seen. You know it's gonna upset them, that they might even pity you, give you that look that makes you cringe. So you rather keep it all inside and keep on smiling, 'cause you don't want them to pity you and feel sorry for you."

Eliot stared back at her, not saying a single word in response. She wished she could read his mind, could see those thoughts which she knew were currently running through his mind. His expression was blank, giving nothing away. This time, she didn't want to break the eye contact though. She wanted to know what he was thinking about her little speech, if he finally understood that she was right, and that both of them had enough reasons to hide who they really were.

"There's a difference between hiding your real self 'cause you don't wanna be pitied, or 'cause people don't wanna see it," he stated then, much to her dismay.

"You're trying to wiggle out of this again, but you do know I'm right!" she complained.

"I didn't say you were wrong, did I?" Eliot asked back. "Yeah, you're right. I don't wanna tell you guys about me and my past, 'cause I know that some parts would scare you, while the others would upset you. Doesn't mean what I'm doing is right, 'cause, you know, they do care. And while I think they still shouldn't know what exactly I did, they might be okay with the rest. Just because something upsets someone doesn't mean they don't wanna hear it anyway. They do. If someone cares, they don't mind to hear something that makes them feel bad, 'cause they wanna be there for you." He paused before he added, "It's why you did this, right? You kidnapped me for a reason. Remember what you said? You wanna listen, and that I can be the real me. Why'd you think I can be myself around you but not the others?"

"I'm not gonna pity you," Parker answered quietly. "Or give you funny looks. I'll just listen and be okay with it."

He nodded slowly. "So you wanna tell me that if I told you how I killed people, or if I explained how I was tortured in great details, you'd be okay? Just shrug it off, not get upset at all by that?"

It was her turn to stare back in silence. Before he got the chance to believe he had won the argument though, she answered, "I'd try."

"Yeah, but it wouldn't change the thoughts, would it? Just 'cause you're looking at me all fine and understanding doesn't mean I'm not aware of what's going on inside your mind." He sighed again. "So if you expect me to show my real self in front of you and accept whatever I say does to you, you gotta do the same, Parker. You gotta be you around me, and around the others, too. Without fearing what we might think of those stories of your past, of who you really are." He grinned as she glared at him. "There are two sides to this, darlin'. There's nothing for you to hide. We care. All of us do."

"Then you gotta be honest, too," she snapped. "Unless you stop being oh so protective of everyone, with hiding all the details of who you are, I'm not gonna be myself either. I'll just keep on smiling although I don't feel that way. Until you stop being that silly protector guy who seriously believes we don't know he's hurting at times. You gotta think we're pretty big idiots."

"I do not!" Eliot shook his head at her.

"Then stop treating us like that," Parker told him firmly. "You want me to trust? Fine. You gotta trust in us as well, or it's unfair. Not smile and pretend you're all happy and fine while everyone knows that's impossible."

"How about I'll try?" he suggested. "Can't promise anything, but I'll try. As long as you'll try as well."

She nodded again. Then, a groan escaped her. "That's so not how I planned this!"

"Well, welcome to the club." He laughed. "Told you this isn't exactly how I imagined that break Nate finally agreed to give us."

Parker tried to glare, couldn't stop herself from smirking as well though. She was happy to see that Eliot was no longer angry because of her plan. Maybe he understood now why she had kidnapped him, why she had come up with this plan, and was willing to play along with it. She couldn't deny she wasn't willing to work on herself, and had expected this vacation to be entirely about him. But maybe his suggestion was worth a try.


	4. Chapter 4

**Title:** Good Friends  
**Summary:** Eliot learns that Parker has her very own definition of what good friends do for each other.  
**Characters:** Eliot, Parker  
**Pairings:** Eliot/Parker  
**Rating:** PG - 13  
**Disclaimer:** I DON'T own anyone or anything. I DON'T own the characters. The fanfic is written for fun, NOT for profit.  
Author's note: Thank you for the lovely reviews! :) If I didn't send review replies yet, you'll get them!

* * *

He had believed the days he would have to spend on a lonely island with Parker would feel like torture. Eliot had wanted to get some distance between himself and the team, but she hadn't been willing to accept his wish. In fear that he might turn his back on the team, she had come up with her very own plan and had kidnapped him.

But, unlike what he had expected, Eliot realised that Parker's idea wasn't as bad as he had expected. He had needed his time to understand what was really going on inside her mind, why she had made this step, this decision to mess with his plan. Only then, he had slowly started to understand her motivation.

She wanted to give him the chance to be himself, without having to hide behind a mask. He had to admit her confession had surprised him. To Eliot, Parker had always appeared like a person who didn't know any boundaries, who would just blurt out whatever thoughts and feelings she had at the moment.

Only when he had invested more thoughts into her, he had realised that she was different. There was a lot hidden beneath the surface: much more than he would have expected. He had been aware of her dark past, but hadn't bothered to think any further about the person she really was.

Until he was forced to risk a closer look at the thief when she had trapped the both of them on a lonely island. Suddenly, he was able to see sides of her which were entirely new to him. He knew she could be serious if she wanted to. But those faces he got to see now were different.

And slowly, ever so slowly, he started to understand. Parker was more than just a crazy thief. She understood him, much better than he would have ever dared to imagine. They had quite a lot in common, so he had to admit. She had already been aware of that, which had been one of the main reasons why she had kidnapped him in the first place.

Because she understood. She could see right through him if she wanted to. She wasn't as poorly at reading people as she often pretended to be. As long as she could relate, she could understand. And she understood him in a way the others didn't.

Of course Eliot knew every single team member had their secrets, and liked to put on a mask that would hide their real feelings and intentions at times. Nate would try to drown his feelings in alcohol, because he couldn't handle them at times. Sophie had so many aliases that she seemed to have lost herself somewhere along the line, and was still struggling with figuring out who she really was. Meanwhile, Hardison was trying his best to appear as the man with the big ego, while it was obvious that his insecurity kept on getting into his way.

All of them were used to hiding, but no one did it like them. Eliot had tried to keep his entire past away from the team, until it had come back to the surface and he hadn't been able to deny it any longer. Parker, on the other hand side, was trying to hide how much her past experiences had damaged her, because she believed others wouldn't be able to handle the upsetting stories, would feel sorry for her, wouldn't want to hear the truth, wouldn't want to know how crazy she really believed she was at times.

They didn't know much about the team. They knew even less about each other. Until she had decided to kidnap him, and trap them both on a lonely island, many miles away from their friends, many miles away from other people, who could disturb, who could get into the way.

And Eliot had learnt more about Parker within a couple of days than he had within those years since they had started to work together. In exchange, he had shared a few of his own stories, and, unlike what he had expected, she hadn't minded, hadn't even flinched. Parker might be crazy at times, but she wasn't stupid. She had been aware of what he had been like back then, when he had been involved with the wrong people. Nothing of what he had shared with him had come as a surprise for her, and Eliot had to admit that talking felt impressively good for once.

Bracing himself on the windowsill of the kitchen window, Eliot took in the stunning view in front of him. During the past week, he had gotten used to this island. The quiet was amazing: no city noises would bother them. All he could hear were the whispers of leaves as the wind would stroke through the tall trees, and the rushing of the sea. Tropical islands usually didn't count to his favourite places. He preferred a small cabin in the woods, maybe even in the far North, or a ranch in the endless fields of the Midwest. After the recent events and the open confrontation with his past, such an island had its tempting sides as well though.

Then, he spotted her. Eliot didn't know when exactly Parker had left the house, and what she had been doing outside in the first place. The island wasn't big, but he knew that during the past few days, she had found some favourite places on it which she liked to go to on a daily basis.

Lifting his head, he narrowed his eyes as he watched her more closely. She wasn't in a hurry as she walked down the beach. Even from the distance, he could see the content smile that was spreading across her face. She looked so satisfied with herself and her surroundings that he could feel himself settling down almost immediately. If one had told him that one day, Parker of all people would have a calming effect on him, he would have called them crazy. Now there he stood though, amazed by this multi-layered woman, and by how good her plan was really working.

She waved as she spotted him eventually, her smile widening. She walked faster then, running the last few feet until she joined him on the other side of the window, grinning proudly.

"What did you do?" he wanted to know, instinctively standing up straight as he realised how close she really stood. He could feel her breath tickling his face as she studied him closely.

"Nothing really," she said, adjusting her position a bit so she wasn't directly staring at him anymore. Parker threw a long glance down the beach before she added, "I was just checking out my favourite spots again."

"For what?" Eliot asked, not bothering to wonder why he cared in the first place. "You have the whole day for going to them. Or did you plan something again?" He gave her a suspicious look as she didn't answer right away. A sigh escaped him. "Of course you did, what was I thinking?"

But Parker shook her head. "No, I wasn't really planning anything. I just wanted to go and have a look at my favourite places again so I could take some pictures." She turned around to face him again. "You know, 'cause we're gonna go back home."

"What?" He couldn't help himself: his eyes widened in disbelief at her words. "You...wanna go back?"

She nodded. "Yeah. I think my plan worked. And besides, you did want to go on another kind of vacation, right? You can still do so. Nate said we could have two weeks off. The first, you spent here with me. For the second one, you can do whatever you like."

"Yeah, but...so..." He was too surprised by her sudden suggestion to come up with a decent response. "So...you no longer worry I could run off 'cause I changed my mind on the team?"

Staring him straight into the eyes, Parker answered, "Nah, you won't. Not anymore."

But in her eyes, he could see she wasn't entirely convinced by her answer. Raising an eyebrow, Eliot studied her for a moment. Parker didn't seem to like that. She broke the eye contact, stared at something random in front of her for a moment before she turned her attention back to the sea.

"What's the matter, Parker?" he eventually asked. "Why'd you not care anymore all of the sudden?"

"I do care," she said quietly. "But...see, you were so honest to me all the time. During the past few days...you told me so much. All those stories...no one else knows about them. No one else but me. Means you trust in me, right? So I gotta show some trust in you, too. And I should do that with letting you go on the vacation you wanted all the time. On your own. Without me. So you can really relax."

Eliot didn't answer. In utter surprise, he stared at the woman in front of him, who still wasn't willing to look up and meet his gaze. He was used to the fact that Parker liked to jump topics within conversations, and would bring up ideas that made no sense at times. But still, she had managed to surprise him with her sudden suggestion, and for a moment, he didn't know how to take it. Until slowly, ever so slowly, he started to understand.

"But...listen, you don't have to prove anything," he said then. "'Cause...well, you already did show a lot of trust in me, didn't you? With all the stuff you told me as well. It wasn't just me who did all the talking. It was you as well."

Parker shrugged. "Yeah, but that was okay. You didn't give me that funny look, or behaved like you were all sorry for me. I didn't mind. It was quite nice to talk to you about it, I gotta admit." She looked up, only briefly, and he was amazed to realise that she looked almost shy as she did so.

"Well, believe it or not, but talking to you was quite nice as well," Eliot admitted. He couldn't help but smile as her head snapped around and she stared at him with huge eyes.

"Really?" she asked disbelieving. Once again, she was so close that her breath was caressing his face. It was a strange sensation. An enjoyable one, he had to admit.

"Yeah, really," he sighed, giving her a playful glare. "You did it, Parker. You convinced me." He sighed as she looked even more shocked. "Stop staring, alright? I mean it. It did feel good to not hide something for once. I was so used to it...I couldn't imagine things any different. Until you showed up. Crazy you, with that crazy past of yours, and with the crazy idea to kidnap me. I could talk about who I was back then, who I'm now, and you didn't mind. You didn't change your view on me. You meant it when you said I could let down the mask, and that you wouldn't give me that whole 'I really wanna hear it' while your eyes are saying 'I don't wanna know'. You did listen, and that felt good. So yeah, I didn't mind talking to you. I do trust in you obviously, and you proved that trust to me, too. There's no need to..." He paused. "Well, there's no need to prove it again with sending me away. Except you're getting tired of having me around you all day long."

She gave him an odd look. "Why would I?" Then she sighed as well. He could see her visibly struggle with herself as she tried to voice what she had in mind. Patiently, he waited, knowing by now that he didn't have to push her. If she wanted to talk, she would. And she did.

"I still do fear you might turn your back on the team when you realise how nice it is to be on your own again," Parker admitted quietly.

"Then why did you make this suggestion?" he wanted to know.

"Like I said, 'cause I wanted to prove that I trust in you as well," she explained. "And 'cause you wanted that other vacation so much. I wanted you to stay here until you talked a bit and didn't feel like hiding anymore. You seem to be...well, happier. Not that tense and angry anymore. Seems like you're getting back in control over yourself and over those memories. That's a good thing. But I don't wanna ruin that entire vacation for you, 'cause you got some plans after all, and who knows when Nate'll allow us another few weeks off."

"You wanna do this for me?" he asked, for once being the person who blurted out his surprise. As she nodded, he noticed the shy expression again, and to his own surprise, it warmed his heart in a way he hadn't expected. The feeling wasn't unfamiliar, but he hadn't expected he could experience it for her. Once again, he allowed himself a few moments to take her in, debating with himself.

"You know what?" Eliot asked then. "I really had some plans for this vacation. I wanted to go to a nice cabin in the woods. You got the quiet and nature out there as well. Just some different kind of nature, and it's not that hot."

Parker nodded. "Then you should do that. You should...go to that cabin in the woods and go fishing or hunting, or whatever else you do out there."

He smiled. "Yeah, I should. But guess what I'm thinking? That cabin would be even nicer with a lovely companion. Don't you think?"

She scrunched up her nose. "You think you'll find a girl out there who'll be your companion?"

He couldn't help but groan at her words. She could be so observant at times. Other times, she just didn't make any sense at all. "No, of course not," he stated. "I was thinking of you. If you like, maybe we could stay at that cabin together. You and me. Might not be a tropical island with all the sand and the ocean, but you got trees, creeks, lakes and other nice things instead. Plus a cabin can be quite comfortable, too."

Once again, she stared in disbelief. "You wanna spend that week with me? At your cabin? Really?"

"Guess that's what I just said, huh?" he replied. "So what'd you think? Sounds good to you?"

A broad grin lit her face, answering all questions for him. "I'm gonna call the pilot so he comes and picks us up."

With those words, Parker lifted herself up and before he could say anything, she had already climbed inside. In amusement, Eliot watched her as she hurried to get the phone and excitedly told the pilot to pick them up as soon as possible. He had had a different vacation in mind: a companion hadn't been part of this plan at all. But he had gotten used to her by now, and liked to have her around. More than he would have ever dared to imagine.


End file.
